For the past 40 years, one man has stood between the ecstasy of victory and the despair of defeat for hundreds of owners of horses racing at Forbury Park.
In the closest of finishes, when even the commentator has not dared to split two horses going nose to nose towards the winning post, it has been one man’s voice those owners wait for.
Ken Dempster is the man behind that voice — he has been judging race finishes and announcing their results for four decades.
Soon, owners and punters will need to listen out for a different voice as Dempster will be officiating his last race at Forbury Park today. Dempster, who has given as many years in harness racing administration as he has judging race finishes, first served as an assistant judge in 1977 before becoming the official Forbury Park Trotting Club judge in 1982.
Back then, the judging process was a lengthy one compared to today, as photo prints of race finishes had to be developed for judges to make their calls, he said.
"When I started it was the old developed print and you used to have to wait for the prints.‘‘They used to come down in a tube from up above us and sometimes they used to get stuck.
"Then you had deal with a wet shiny print."
More recently, technology has meant a wet print has been replaced by a computer screen on which Dempster can zoom in to split two horses in a close finish with relative ease, he said. Of the talent he has seen from the judge’s box, two individuals have stood one — one equine and one human.
"I remember seeing Courage Under Fire have his first race. I had heard all about him and I was suitably impressed.
"And watching Dexter Dunn these days — he is something else."
After his 40 years in the judges box, Dempster has decided it is time for him to move on.
"I have been going for so long, you have got to get out sometime — to use a horse analogy, get out while you’re still sound in wind and limb."
He will be replaced by Southland’s harness racing judge, Bruce Young.
On the administrative side, Dempster served as the treasurer of the Otago Owners Breeders and Trainers Association from 1973 until 1994.
During his working career, he was an accountant for Deloitte, for whom he administered the club’s finances from 2002 to 2009.
After 2009, he did the club’s accounting in an in-house role capacity until March this year.
During that time, Dempster also filled the in as chief executive officer three times after resignations from 2009 to 2016.
Although he has now moved out of both administration and judging, Dempster still plans to keep a keen interest in harness racing.
"I don’t think I could ever give it away but on cold winter nights I might just stay at home and watch Trackside."
- Jonny Turner
